Dubai & Abu Dhabi # 6: Day 3 Part 2 – Desert Safari

Even after superlative urbanization and uncountable tourist spots, desert safari still remains one of the prime attractions of Dubai.

We left at around 3 PM in a Land Cruiser which seems to be the widely used 4 * 4 for desert safari. It took an hour to reach the first designated stop.

The primary purpose of the stop is to cool down the engine and deflate tires a little so that the vehicle can handle the sandy terrain better. The stop was a fully commercialized food and knickknack outlet along with quad biking section.

We spent next 20 mins for our maiden quad biking experience before leaving for dune bashing which started dramatically with pumped-up music, revved-up engine and a downslope on a dune leaving us floating a few inches above the seat.

Prefer to have a light lunch on the day of the desert safari.

The next stop was in the mid of the desert where the landscape was filled with sand dunes, sparse vegetation and a setting sun in the background.

After around 30-45 mins of dune bashing, we started our journey towards the desert camp and reached there by 6 PM. We were served soft drinks and light refreshments by the time the prime attractions of the camp, Tanoura dance, fire acrobatics and belly dance take place.

It’s windy and cold at the desert camp. Make sure to have appropriate clothing.

During the performances, I couldn’t stop noticing moving, twinkling lights in the sky, appearing one after another, taking a sharp U-turn to finally descend to the Dubai airport. This series of aircrafts reminded me of similar line-up we usually observe while passing through Vikhroli-Ghatkopar stretch of Eastern Highway in Mumbai.

After the performances, it was time for a buffet dinner which had Indian and continental cuisines.

In all, it was around 250 KMs of traveling and approx 6 hours for the ‘(near)authentic to Dubai’ experience. While the dune bashing and desert camping are authentic to the region, the same does not hold true for the dance performances at the camp.